Literacy rate, adult female in India
India: Literacy rate, adult female was 70.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in India, 1981–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
India recorded 70.7% for literacy rate, adult female in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.5% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in India peaked at 74.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 25.7%, in 1981.
That places India 64th out of 89 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in India, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 25.7% | — |
| 1991 | 33.7% | +31.3% |
| 2001 | 47.8% | +41.8% |
| 2006 | 50.8% | +6.2% |
| 2010 | 57.7% | +13.4% |
| 2011 | 59.3% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 59.9% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 65.2% | +8.8% |
| 2019 | 67.0% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 67.6% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 68.2% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 69.1% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 74.9% | +8.3% |
| 2024 | 70.7% | -5.5% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 70.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 71.4%, 99% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- India's 70.7% is below the median for South Asia, which is 76.5%, 92% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate, adult female in India changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +41.8% | 33.7% | 47.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 25.7% | 25.7% | 25.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 33.7% | 33.7% | 33.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 49.3% | 47.8% | 50.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 61.8% | 57.7% | 67.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 70.1% | 67.6% | 74.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More gender data for India
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 341,454 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.5667 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 1.18 million (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 1.18 million (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 10.96 million people (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 11.71 million people (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 10.92 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 11.70 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 10.89 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in India?
- Literacy rate, adult female in India was 70.7% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 74.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.7% in 1981.
- How does India rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- India ranks 64th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.